Posted on 2021-02-16
I ran a sports page on Instagram for a year. It had a very active following that felt like a community consistently engaging in my posts. What does that have to do with managing a business’s social media account? A lot.
From my time running the account, I learned how to pull in an audience, catch an audience’s attention, stand out from similar pages, and create an active following. These are all very important because your content should speak for itself, but it won’t unless you market it correctly.
Of course, my first step was posting content that the mindlessly-scrolling Instagram viewer would stop scrolling for and look at. To achieve this, it’s crucial to make posts visually and auditorily appealing. You want to accomplish this consistently so that when someone views your page, they will decide that this is the type of content they want in their feed.
You have to imagine yourself as that Instagram user. You don’t follow a page just out of courtesy — you follow a page if you are genuinely interested in seeing their content.
After putting exciting material out, don’t wait for your target demographic to find you. You find them. Start by searching your competition’s Instagram accounts and other pages that are similar in concept to yours. Follow their followers. You can see who is an active follower on their pages by who is commenting and liking posts.
Once you have your foundation audience, you’re going to grow based on how well you engage your followers. Ask engaging questions as a way to encourage people to comment. Don’t overuse the “tag your friends” type of posts, but it’s good once in a while. Post quick and visually stimulating video montages that people would want to watch multiple times. Use humor and memes when appropriate. Post about company news, milestones, and achievements. Plus, interact with your followers in the comment section.
With all of this said, it’s all going to come down to how well you present your company. Remember that you’re trying to engage an audience that doesn’t owe you their attention. You have to earn it!